School Chooser

Harford Manor School, Norwich

Special · ages 4-19MixedFoundation special school110 pupilsSixth formNorwichNorfolk
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, June 2023
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance91.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families52%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull110 pupils, 98 places
Pupils per teacher8.1School workforce census

Harford Manor School, Norwich is a foundation special school in Norwich for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 110 pupils, 12 more than it has places for. About 52 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

43 Ipswich Road, Norwich, NR2 2LN01603 451809harfordmanor.norfolk.sch.ukMr Colin Wheelhouse headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 6 June 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Sixth formOfsted calls this “post-16”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

9 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

6 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017NorfolkEngland
Pupils tested667866
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%56%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%5%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-6.0+0.9-2.8-4.6
Maths progressMaths progress score-7.0+0.3-3.4-4.8

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Norfolk council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll110Census January 2026
Places98112% full
Pupils from low-income families50%52% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English20%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%110 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)49%£57,900 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls82 / 28
White British pupils71%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, other needs, profound and multiple learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Norfolk with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Severe learning difficulty (51), Autistic spectrum disorder (34), language and communications needs (15), Other difficulty or disability (4), Hearing impairment (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll110106100999989
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals50%53%46%44%37%33%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language20%20%19%20%14%12%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school25.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.5%7.8%7.1%6.8%16.1%3.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.7%7.0%6.5%6.7%15.7%3.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.8%0.7%0.6%0.1%0.5%0.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence25.6%26.4%22.2%22.2%73.6%7.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 6 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%100%
Education100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%
Work0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers13.6full-time equivalent, 15 people
Pupils per teacher8.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants46.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,768
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies1
Sick days per teacher1.22024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£28,144England £32,258. Total £3.0m
Income per pupil£28,437England £32,367. Total £3.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£9,039England £11,930
Money in reserve10%A healthy amount put by: £304k, £2,868 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£31kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£28,144spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m11212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate97 per 1,000 people7% higher than the England average
Typical house price£235,000Norwich

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Hewett AcademyAcademy340 m543Good 202380Compare
Visiting Teacher Service CentralMiscellaneous480 mNot inspectedCompare
The Wherry SchoolFree school480 m134Report card 2026Compare
Tuckswood AcademyAcademy520 m188No overall grade 202410Compare
City of Norwich School, An Ormiston AcademyAcademy600 m1,685Good 202159Compare
Town Close Co-Educational Preparatory SchoolIndependent600 m428Not inspectedCompare
Norwich City College of Further and Higher EducationFurther education600 mNot inspectedCompare
Norwich High School for Girls GDSTIndependent820 m574Not inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Harford Manor School, Norwich a good school?

Harford Manor School, Norwich doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in June 2023.

What is Harford Manor School, Norwich's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Harford Manor School, Norwich good at its last full inspection on 6 June 2023.

How good are Harford Manor School, Norwich's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Harford Manor School, Norwich have?

110 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 98 places, so it is 112% full.

What is attendance like at Harford Manor School, Norwich?

Pupils were in school 91.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Harford Manor School, Norwich have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, other needs, profound and multiple learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Harford Manor School, Norwich have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
43 Ipswich Road, Norwich, NR2 2LN
Telephone
01603 451809
Website
www.harfordmanor.norfolk.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Colin Wheelhouse
Type of school
Foundation special school (Foundation special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Trust
Trust Norfolk-SEN
Local authority
Norfolk
Ward
Town Close
Constituency
Norwich South
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
121264 · LAESTAB 9267016 · UKPRN 10015608

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from